Fauquier to consider revised noise ordinance

On Thursday, county supervisors want to hear from Fauquier residents about a proposed change to the county noise ordinance.

The latest changes can be found embedded in the document below. This revision repeals the prohibition on truck braking, changes the threshold for a violation from "unreasonable noise" to "plainly audible and discernible noise from inside a fully enclosed neighboring dwelling or business" and includes many exempt activities. It also changes the prohibition against noisy animals from "habitually noisy" to "plainly audible animal noises for more than five consecutive minutes."

The penalty for violating the noise ordinance, under the proposed revision, would not be a criminal misdemeanor, but a civil offense with a fine of $250 the first time and $500 for subsequent offenses.

Since the June 2014 hearing, county staff have made two changes, indicated in yellow on the draft below: an exemption for working dogs associated with agriculture and an exemption for any use permitted by the issuance of a Special Exception or Special Use permit.

The Fauquier County Board of Supervisors meets Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Warren Green Building on 10 Hotel Street in Warrenton.